Chude Jideonwo, host of the widely acclaimed talk show #WithChude and Chair of the Fourthmainland Creator Fund, in his Amazon bestselling memoir ‘How Depression Saved My Life,’ reveals a defining moment in his journey: how being attacked and trending on social media for three consecutive days over his role in the 2015 elections became the unlikely catalyst for the creation of #WithChude. In the book, Jideonwo recounts waking up one morning in 2017 to discover he was a trending topic on Twitter (now X), facing a wave of harsh, deeply personal criticism tied to his past political work. Though no stranger to public scrutiny, this episode marked a turning point, exposing the emotional cost of public life and forcing him to confront the limits of logic, reputation, and resilience.
According to Jideonwo, the backlash intensified after an international publication commissioned him to analyse why African youth were supporting older political leaders, a piece that was widely misinterpreted online. As the attacks escalated and refused to subside, he did what he now openly admits he advises against: he tried to defend himself. “The more I tweeted, the more the backlash,” he writes. By the third day of trending, the pressure broke him. “I lost it. I broke down in tears.” In search of comfort, he stumbled on a YouTube interview where researcher Brené Brown spoke about criticism, courage, and being “in the arena.” That moment, Jideonwo says, “completely changed my life,” quieting his sensitivity to criticism and giving him language for something deeper: the power of vulnerability, empathy, and emotional truth.
That encounter did more than soothe a wound; it birthed a mission. Jideonwo writes that it inspired a promise to himself: to one day create a space where people could find comfort, perspective, and humanity when life felt overwhelming. That promise became #WithChude, now one of Africa’s most-watched talk shows, known for its intimate, healing conversations. As he reflects in the book, “One day, someone will go on the internet to find comfort when all is falling apart around them… and they will know they are not alone.”
How Depression Saved My Life, now an Amazon Top 100 bestseller, traces how that moment of public rejection redirected his life’s work toward joy, mental health, and emotional honesty. The book is now available in bookstores nationwide, on Amazon, and on Kindle. book.withchude.com
The second part of the book’s two-part launch holds tomorrow in Lagos, continuing a journey that began with criticism, but transformed into purpose.
